“You don’t get to tell me that you can’t be with me, and then insist I not date other people.”
I step closer to her. “He’s not good enough for you.” I don’t know whether that’s true or not. Maybe he’s a great guy... but he’s notme.
“Yeah? Then who is, Aidan?” The anguish in her voice as she looks up at me has a lump in my throat that grows so large I can’t speak. “See? You can’t even say it’s you. So if you aren’t the one for me, let me find someone who is. Or at least, someone who is not afraid of their own feelings.”
She pushes me back with one hand on my chest, then turns and storms toward the door. I go to follow her, but the press of the crowd slows me and by the time I make it to the street, she’s nowhere to be seen.
I’m tempted to hop in a cab and show up at her place, but she deserves more than me being reactive and jealous, demanding that she not see other people.
She deserves for me to finally show up for her, ready for a relationship. And there’s no way I can do that without settling a few other things in my life.
Aidan
Are you around tomorrow? Can we chat?
Max
Is everything okay? You can call me now if you need to.
I glance at the clock at the top of my phone screen. It’s just about midnight, and I’m tired and unsure of what I want to say at this point.
Aidan
Nothing’s wrong, I just need some advice. It can wait until tomorrow.
Max
Okay. I’m on call at the hospital tomorrow night, so I’ll probably try to get some sleep in the afternoon. Call me in the morning?
Aidan
Will do.
Then I set off on foot. My mind is reeling too much for me to sleep, and I’m hoping that the walk home will help clear my head. I don’t even know what I want to talk to Max about, specifically.
If it was just about what happened with Hayley and how to move past that, I’d call Liam. He was there for me throughoutthat ordeal, and given what happened with Kelsey and his belief that love is still worth it even after he lost her, he might have some good advice.
I know my issues are deeper than that one relationship. That was just the cherry on top of a shit sundae of losing people I loved, and Max will understand that better than anyone.
So I spend the thirty-minute walk thinking carefully about what I need to do to untangle my own complicated feelings about relationships and love, and hoping beyond hope that I haven’t wrecked things with Morgan too badly to repair them.
Chapter Forty-Three
AIDAN
“You can’t be fucking serious,” I say with a dry laugh as I come to a stop at a stoplight. Traffic is heavier than I would have expected mid-morning on a Saturday. “Sheleftyou?”
“She sure did,” Max says, sounding not the least bit sad about this.
“A two and a half month marriage is a record, even for you. What was her reasoning?”
“She determined, very correctly I might add, that I was still not over your mom.”
I don’t know what to say. “How do you feel about that?”
“About her leaving? Eh. I started seeing her true colors on our honeymoon. Glad I had that prenup in place.”
“I meant about not being over Mom, but continuously trying to replace her.”
